


locking rhythms to the beat of her heart

by smallredboy



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1980s, Dancing, F/M, Gay Bar, Kissing, Pining, Trans Angelica Schuyler, Trans Thomas Jefferson, mentions of transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 10:26:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16808818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: Thomas and Angelica, classmates in college, see each other atthatkind of bar.





	locking rhythms to the beat of her heart

**Author's Note:**

> for a prompt on tumblr!! i love thomgelica and i finally got to writing them! i was listening to moonz @washingtononyourside's 80s playlist and so it became an 80s au. im not complaining at any rate! title from 'maniac' by michael sembello because. of course
> 
> fills my 'AU: Historical' square on trope bingo!
> 
> enjoy!!

They met at college, but they  _ meet  _ at a bar. 

The lights are bright, the queens are loud, the music even louder. People dance and flirt, drink like it's the end of the world. It is, Thomas thinks and he starts taking sips from his wine, it's the end of the world every night here. 

He finds himself looking around the bar— not much people pay him any mind. A few femmes come to him with confident looks and smiles, flirt with him until he tells them he's not a woman. 

His eyes fall on a woman he's seen before. narrow hips and dark skin and glitter over her cherry lipstick. Her long hair falls down her back, and he'd recognize her anywhere.

He draws in a breath and gets up, heading towards her. She’s talking to a girl with curls past her shoulders, a soft smile and glowing eyes. He taps her back and she turns around, brows furrowed before she realizes and her mouth is left agape.

He does a bow, exaggerated and insincere. “Care for a dance, ma'am?”

Angelica swats his arm. “Thomas!”

He laughs. “You haven't answered!”

She apologizes to her friend and takes him to the dancefloor, starting to dance to the music blasting out of the stereo. 

Thomas gives a quick once-over to the rest of the couples dancing— Black gay men, butch and femme lesbians, twig-like men dancing with bigger partners.

“We're the only straight duo in this whole place,” Angelica says when she notices what he's looking at. 

“They don't see it as that, though.”

Angelica spins him around and puts his hand on her cheek. “But we know what it is.”

He grins, tilts his head. “That's fair.” 

“Are you sure you wanna be dancing with me, or am I just the only person in this gay bar you know?”

“Nah. Your sisters are here, too, I'd recognize Eliza anywhere.” He pauses. “But you're here, and I wanna dance with you.”

Angelica lifts him up a little before pulling him closer. She's wearing trousers— women's trousers, judging by how there's nothing in her pockets. It's alright, there's nothing in his either. They're more figure-hugging than men's, but he knows who he is well enough to not bother. 

“You're pretty,” Thomas breathes. 

“And you're an ass,” Angelica rebuffs. “How's Madison?”

“Went back to Virginia after break,” he replies, shifting Angelica around so he has her pressed up against him, as if she could feel anything from his crotch. He bites back a chuckle at the thought. “He’s in Norfolk State, you know. A lot better than ours.”   
  
“I’d imagine so,” she replies, turning and shifting her hips up against him. A breath leaves him, and he focuses on the details over Angelica’s face. Her pores and her hair and her smile wrinkles and the glitter on her cherry-red lips.

He swallows thickly. “I like your makeup,” he says. 

She puts a foot between his, pushes herself closer, makes a pleased noise leave his mouth. “You were good with makeup, I think.” She pauses, brows furrowing in thought. “Or was it Madison that showed me pictures of him as a teenager?”   
  
“It was Jemmy, yeah.” He spins her around, laughing a little as the music booms over them. Everything’s too quiet and too loud at the same time. “He was amazing at makeup. He did my eyeliner.”   
  
Angelica leans closer, so close they could kiss. He wants to kiss her.

“You should tell him to teach me sometime.”   
  
“You’re already great at it, you look incredible,” he blurts out.

Angelica looks away, bites the inside of her cheek.

“I’m not flattering you,” he says. “You look amazing.”   


_ I really like you, _ he thinks.  _ I wanna kiss you, he thinks.  _

“Thanks, Thomas,” he replies, stroking one of his curls, a motion that makes his heart skip a beat. “You look amazing too.”   
  
“Wish I looked different,” he says, lifting her a little, his arms barely holding her up. 

“All of ours do, baby,” she says, shifting her hips up against him when he puts her back down. 

Thomas’ blush grows. “I know.”

Silence spreads over them as they dance, Angelica dancing like it’s the end of the world, her hips swaying to the music and her stance sure and fluid. Thomas is a lot more awkward and unsure, but Angelica guides him, teaches him the right steps to make it look just right — to make it feel just right.

“So,” Angelica starts, taking him in her arms, lifting him up with relative ease. It’s not like he’s light, really — Angelica’s just a bit stronger than she looks. “How would your parents feel if you brought a girl home?”   


Thomas struggles with words at that, his heartbeat starting to race. “Um— they’d feel the ‘oh so she  _ is  _ a lesbian after all’ way.”   


She scoffs and leans in, pecks him on the cheek. “That’s bullshit. When did you come out again?”   


“1975,” he says, being led out of the dancefloor. Angelica hands him some expensive wine he could’ve easily bought himself, but downs it anyway. “It’s been uh, seven years now, has it?”   
  
“Uh-huh.” She pauses. “I’m glad my mama’s a lesbian, otherwise I don’t know how everything would’ve been. Liza’s happy, I’m happy, and no one knows me as anyone else than Angelica Schuyler.”   
  
“The eternal bachelorette.”   
  
She gives him an unreadable look. “I sure hope not.”

“I hope not too.”   


She leans down to kiss him, and he melts into it, letting her lead the way, letting her take care of the indescribable amount of emotions he feels right now.

Angelica pulls away and cups his cheek, running her thumb over his cheekbone. 

“Let’s go?” Thomas says.

He wonders if this is just a fling for her, if it’s a thing she does every other weekend, something normal. Like they’re not classmates or acquaintances or anything at all. He wonders if he’s just one more in a list.

He doesn’t ask, though.

Angelica kisses him again, takes her hand on his. “Let’s go,” she nods. “But first—” She waves to the woman she was talking to before Thomas arrived, who’s a few feet away, sitting down. “Maria! I’m gonna go to my apartment with this cutie!”   


Maria laughs and gives her a thumbs up before turning back to the woman she’s chatting up, a butch with long eyelashes and cropped curls.

Angelica gives him another kiss, and Thomas follows her, wordless for once in his life. 


End file.
